Quick! What’s a “Fernlike Stellar Dendrite?”

THE BEAUTY OF SNOWFLAKES, CAPTURED HERE BY THE LATEST PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNOLOGY, would have delighted pioneer snowflake photographer Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley (1865 - 1931). These snowflakes were photographed by physics professor Kenneth Libbrecht, of the California Institute of Technology, who says the “most basic snowflake pattern is the hexagonal prism, a six-sided block with little detail.

Scientifically, snowflakes are called “Fernlike Stellar Dendrites.” The largest snow crystals are about 5mm, and make for soft, powdery snow.